BC mom develops Canada’s first natural diaper ointment

Vancouver – When Vancouver mom Marcie Weinstein-Smith took a market survey asking moms what frustrated them most about natural baby products, the prevailing answer was that “they all lie.”

They all seemed to agree that many products say the word “natural” on their labels, but in fact are not. But let’s not kid ourselves, most moms don’t have the time to research complicated ingredients.

Weinstein-Smith decided to create her own natural baby line, called Lovey’s, which features products that are truly free of chemicals but still work great. “We don’t claim to be natural and then sneak in Phenoxyethanol or Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate,” she says.

But wait, doesn’t going green mean a little inconvenience, or lack of effectiveness? Not in this case. Weinstein-Smith worked with a chemist to produce Canada’s first truly natural diaper ointment in a roll-up stick format, called the Tushi Stick. Now moms have a convenient way to avoid chemicals and keep their fingers mess-free.

Designed to avoid the spread of germs, lab tests showed the product came out clean even after being infected with five strains of bacteria. It naturally soothes diaper rash while keeping bothersome germs away too. “The best part about it is that it works,” says Weinstein-Smith. “I got tired of all the products that claimed to be natural but in the end were just ‘greenwashing.’ I was determined to make clean products that contained no petroleum, no sulfates or parabens.”

Weinstein-Smith’s research also led her to find that, according to the Environmental Working Group, at least 27 unsafe ingredients are in personal care products exposed to children daily. Not only that, babies under six months have not fully developed the blood-brain barrier that prevents chemicals absorbing into brain tissue. Children’s skin is 30 percent thinner than adults, and hence, can also absorb chemicals easily.

This research is further enforced by Dr. Avram Sussman, a Naturopathic doctor in Vaughan, Ontario. “Oddly, the majority of parents will never read the ingredients on a disposable wipe package or other baby hygiene product,” says Dr. Sussman. “Yet everything that touches the skin can be absorbed by the body – especially if used repeatedly over time.”